Eggs fit for a king-in-waiting

How times have changed! In Gran’s day it was toast and porridge Monday to Saturday. Sunday was always a fry-up. Eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, tomatoes, black (blood) pudding, mushrooms, toast, hash browns – any and all of these made Sunday morning a real treat. Nothing fancy: lots of grease. Sometimes in memory of my late grandma I indulge; though sometimes, too, on other Sundays, I go for class.

I recently read that Prince Charles’ favourite food is scrambled eggs. I’ve also read that he likes smoked salmon cornets stuffed with scrambled eggs. Not for you? Try it. I can tell you it’s an unbelievably good combination, and just for sheer delight you might want to indulge your special someone some Sunday this spring.

This dish is so easy to prepare and so useful, it can be served at all times of the day.

You can, of course, have it for breakfast: just the salmon cones stuffed with hot scrambled eggs, some toast and a nice cup of tea. Today’s menu, though, was prepared for a light lunch: salmon cones stuffed with scrambled eggs and along with that a fresh salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green onion, avocado and a nice vinaigrette. The dish can also be served as an appetizer: a smaller portion than the lunch but put together just the same way. The dish is very versatile and can be used in many different roles.

For a lunch, prepare the salad on individual plates, leaving enough space on the plate for the salmon. When the vegetables and vinaigrette are in place, lay thin slices of the salmon flat on the plate. Then make the scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs can be made in a variety of ways, but since salmon is rich the eggs should be rich to match. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the cream and blend together; the more you beat the mixture, the lighter the eggs, much like a soufflé. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan; then add the egg mixture and stir slowly until cooked through.

The eggs will still be cooking when they’re removed from the heat. Use a spoon to place a portion of the cooked eggs on each piece of flat salmon. Then roll the salmon over to form a cone.

To serve, add a fresh sprig of dill, slice of lemon and a light dusting of salt and pepper to taste. Voilà, sit down and enjoy!

Ian Leatt, a former chef in Jersey, the Channel Islands, is sales director at Pegasus Publications.